A Last Resort
by tigerlilygroove
Summary: When Dumbledore is attacked and falls ill, Snape must retreive his only relative to save him, and make things right with a girl from the past. SSOC. First fanfic!
1. A Last Resort

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters created by JK Rowling. I only choose to use them to write fluffy little stories for my own amusement.

A Last Resort

Chapter 1: A Last Resort

A dark figure moved down the hallway with a quickened pace towards the bedchambers of Albus Dumbledore. Vile in hand, he threw open the large doors to find some of the staff gathered in a circle around his oak bed. Madam Pomfrey, who had been desperately trying to keep Dumbledore conscious, paused to glance up with weary eyes at Severus, who held the bottle triumphantly towards her.

"This should last more than six hours," he said quietly, fully knowing that anything at this point that he could conjure up could not help the old wizard ever completely recover.

It had been three days since the attack on Professor Dumbledore happened within the sacred walls of Hogwarts. Three loyal followers of Voldemort had been posing as students for the past two years, enough time to learn where and when the opportunity for the perfect time to strike; when they knew that he would be most vulnerable. It had happened during the ceremony celebrating Dumbledore's birthday. The three had volunteered to present him with the cake that had been tainted with a powerful potion that caused him severe anemia. Because of his elderly state, it was hard to counter and almost impossible to cure.

"We can't carry on like this any further," Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "With every day he is weaker. We are increasing the risk of another attack by Voldemort's followers. Next time it will surely be fatal."

"What do you suppose we do then?" Severus shot back. "I have been stayed awake for three days now trying my hardest to keep him alive." He turned away so that the rest of the group would not see the shame in his red-rimmed eyes. He felt that he owed so much to Albus for his wisdom and compassion, and now he was allowing him to die.

Madam Pomfrey shifted uncomfortably in her chair and glanced nervously at Minerva. "There is only one way. I think you should tell him."

Professor McGonagall nodded and motioned for Severus to follow her into the next room. She looked at him with tired and sad eyes. Like Severus, she had stayed awake since the attack, never leaving Dumbledore's bedside. She cleared her throat. "Severus, Madam Pomfrey has concluded that the only way we can possibly save him is through a blood transfusion. Only then can we assure that he will be strong enough to thwart another attack."

"Alright then, I'm sure we can find a donor somewhere. Why hasn't this been mentioned before?"

Minerva paused to look at something outside, as if trying to gather her thoughts before continuing. "It has been mentioned before, but there's a catch. Albus has an extremely rare blood type that is only shared with members of his own family." She sighed. "I think you know what I'm about to ask of you."

Severus stared at the ground for a while. He knew exactly what she was about to ask, and he didn't like it. "There has to be someone else. Please." He looked at her with a mixture of anger and disparity.

"She is the only family that he has left. I'm sorry, I know about your past with Cecilia, but she needs to come back in order to save her uncle. She must know what danger he's in, and what danger she could possibly be in if Voldemort discovers the cure and tries to hurt her." She placed a compassionate hand on his shoulder. "Think of this also as your second chance to make things right with her again."

Severus pulled away at that last statement. "Right again? Nothing can ever be right with her again," he spat, the cold blackness returning to his eyes. "If you forget, Minerva, she gained so much contempt for me that she abandoned her life here to go live with _muggles_. How do you mend something like that when she never took the time to listen to me." He slumped against the wall as the painful memories sidelined him.

Professor McGonagall offered him a smile and patted him on the shoulder. "You have to understand, Severus, of the anger and confusion she must have felt. It was too overwhelming for her. However, if you do not change you mind about Cecilia, then please think of the other party." She motioned to Professor Dumbledore, who was still unconscious.

"I'll do it, but only for Albus." With that, he spun around, his cape creating a swirl of blackness behind him, as he went to prepare for his travel to the States. He sighed heavily as he thought of facing the girl who broke his heart five years ago.


	2. Time Doesn't Heal

Chapter 2: Time Doesn't Heal 

"Almost there....last one....aaaaannnnddd.....done!" Cecilia Lawson tied the remaining suture on the dog's incision and sat down the needle. She picked up the dog's womanhood that was now nonexistent and waved it in front of the technician's face. "Ready for lunch?"

Lena laughed and took her own gloves off. "Yep, there's just something about a dog's discarded ovaries that makes me hungry! Bambino's pizza sound OK for lunch?"

"Sure, let's get this dog off of the oxygen and into the hospital. I think I still have one more appointment before 12:30, then I'll freshen up. You buying this time?"

"You're the doctor and you're asking _me _if I can buy you lunch." Lena narrowed her eyes jokingly at her friend. "What are friend's for?"

"Great then. Let me get this out of the way and I'll catch up with you."

Her last morning appointment was with Mr. McCabe and her four cats. With her sparkling green eyes and warm smile, she was always Cecilia's favorite client. She reminded her so much of her grandmother.

Instantly her eyes welled up with tears. Never in the last five years had she allowed herself to forget about her past life and everything special that she had shared before she gave it up on a whim caused by incredible heartache. Every time she allowed herself to dwell on those memories, she immediately remembered that the reason that she had left was because the bad had outweighed the good. In a matter of a week she had lost her parents and her sister, and the one person that she had loved more than anything had betrayed her in the worst way. Although Uncle Albus had a way of putting things into perspective, she decided that her heart just wasn't into that lifestyle anymore. She no longer believed in magic, or love, for that matter. They had only gotten her into trouble.

Cecilia picked at her salad during lunch, her previous thoughts still fresh in her mind.

"Are you alright, kiddo?" Lena looked closely at her from across the table. "You've barely said a word."

"Well, you do talk enough for both of us," she joked, trying to push her memories away. "Please continue."

"Ha-freaking-ha. So anyway, Dan's friend is visiting from out of town and I was thinking that the four of us could hit the town tomorrow night. Are you in?"

Cecilia groaned. "Lena, please don't try to set me up with another guy. You know I don't do things like that."

"Geez girl! In the five years that you've lived here you have not gone out with a single guy. You're whole life is that damn hospital! Do you really want to be an old maid for the rest of your life? Pittsburgh has enough of those! Come on, Ce—," Lena stopped when she saw a tear escape her friend's face. "Oh no, I'm so sorry sweetie, I can be such a bitch."

Cecilia wiped her eyes and sighed. "Though you're probably right, I came here to get away from all of that. I might as well tell you...there was someone, a long time ago, and I guess you could say that I never fully recovered. In fact, I've been left a bit jaded, so I've done my best to cut those things out of my life."

"I'm so sorry. You have to tell me things like this to prevent me from making an ass out of myself!" Lena suddenly looked at her watch. "Oh shit! It's almost 2:00! Dr. Lewis is going to be so pissed that he has to take your clients." The two women threw down some money and ran out the door.


	3. A Special Gift

Author's Note: I'm so sorry to all of you who are enjoying my story. Between new classes and problems with my computer, this has been hard to keep up with, but I promise that I'll be a little bit more frequent in updating. Thanks for the reviews!!! I really appreciate it. -TG

Chapter 3: A Special Gift

The two girls arrived back to the animal hospital to much commotion. They found Brenda, another technician, being cornered by a large angry Doberman. Its hair was standing straight up, and it was growling fiercely at the frightened woman. "I was just trying to give it its shot. Help me," she whispered.

Cecilia slowly strode over to the dog and sat down on the floor between them. Never taking her eyes off of the dog, she began to whisper to him gently, as if in a deep trance. Immediately the dog sat down and any trace of fear left his eyes. He scooted over to Cecilia and licked her hand affectionately. "He should be fine now. Hand me the syringe."

"I don't know how you do it," Lena said later on as they prepared surgical trays. "I have never seen anyone with such a way with animals like you have. What did they teach you at that veterinary school?"

Cecilia smiled. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Come on. Stop being so secretive."

"Magic," she said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever," Lena rolled her eyes and returned to what she was doing. Cecilia smiled. _You have no idea, _she thought.

Although Cecilia spent most of her time at the hospital, she couldn't have been more relieved to see the last client go that evening. So many memories had been brought up with the day's events, and the best way to forget was to go home and sleep it off.

She was delighted when Lucy greeted her at the front door. Cecilia had always had a fondness for golden retrievers, because they always seemed to have a sunny disposition. Of course, taking care of dogs and cats was nothing compared to the spectacular awe of taking care of the magical animals that she grew up with. She had been the only one in her family that truly held a special kinship with animals, which then became her magical specialty. When she had finished from Hogwarts she went on to study until she earned her degree. She opened up her own practice in Hogsmeade, where she cared for many of the students' owls, cats, and frogs, as well as all of the interesting creatures that Hagrid had somehow gotten his hands on.

When she decided to leave for the states, the only thing that she took from her past was her knowledge and a few animal-familiar spells, which she often used to calm or to take any pain away from her patients. She hadn't used her wand in years. _If Lena had known that I was serious, she would have thought that I was crazy. _Living in the muggle world was so much different than home. Not too many of them would allow themselves to open their minds to such magic for fear of the unknown. No wonder wizards stay so secretive around them.

Cecilia plopped down in her favorite chair and stared out of the window. Her home in the suburb of Mt. Washington allowed her to see the whole city of Pittsburgh. The city really lit up at night, creating a beautiful view from her living room. She sighed and briefly wondered if it was completely wrong of her to leave, but when his face flashed in front of her, her stubborn will screamed _NO_.

That night she had terrible dreams. She was in her parents' house, and a dark figure was looming over her family, whispering deadly incantations. For a moment she thought that the cloaked figure was Severus Snape, but the face was blurry and unidentifiable. She reached for her wand in a feeble attempt to stop him, but pulled out a tongue depressor instead. Confused and frantic, she looked around to find her wand and spotted Uncle Albus in the corner. He was bound with invisible ties, and he looked deathly pale. She ran over to her uncle and shook him. He grasped her hand and his touch burned her. He looked into her eyes pleadingly and vanished. She could hear Voldemort's laughter far away.

Cecilia sat up in bed in a cold sweat. She turned on the lamp at her bedside and looked at her hand. She had a very dark mark on her palm. It looked like smeared blood. Cecilia shuddered with fear. Something was not right.


	4. New Surroundings, Old Memories

**Author's Note: **Hello again! I realize that I haven't updated this stuff since September! Sheesh. I guess it took me that long to figure out where I wanted the story to go. Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed, way back when. And here we go again! TG

**Disclaimer: **With the exception of the Pittsburgh people and the dog, they all belong to JK Rowling. Yay for her.

Chapter 4 New Surroundings, Old Memories

Severus stepped off of the plane and glanced at his surroundings. Never in his life had he been surrounded by so many muggles. He sneered at one little boy who stared at him the whole trip. He was dressed in his usual attire: black, but he decided to leave his cloak behind in exchange for a black blazer to try to stay inconspicuous. It was not entirely successful, however, as one young boy ran into him and said snidely, "Watch where you're going, Dracula." The urge to whip out his wand had never been greater. _Muggles, _he thought bitterly. He already couldn't wait to return home to more years of avoiding them. That would certainly put a smirk on his stoic features. Especially now since Cecilia was living amongst them, his loathing for them increased with every year that she stayed here.

Although Severus resented the boy's comment, he realized that he was probably a little over dressed for the season. The warm September air in Pennsylvania contrasted greatly with the chill of Hogwarts castle, causing beads of sweat to gather around his brow as he hastily made his way through the heavy crowds of the airport. The medallion that Professor McGonagall had given him glowed a deep orange, which meant that he was close to finding her. Once she was within eyesight, it would turn red.

As he hailed a cab he desperately tried to push aside the emotions that were surfacing inside him. How would he react to seeing her after five years? How would she react? Would she run, or worse, look at him with the same bitterness that she had showed him the last time that he saw her? He swallowed his feelings when he remembered the most important task…Albus. However, he wondered if saving him was worth reliving the pain all over again. He assumed that her feelings hadn't changed, otherwise she wouldn't have stayed away for so long. As long as her family was still dead, she would hate him, for an affiliation to which he had long deserted. If only she had realized that his love for her ran deeper than any mark that he still carried from his past.

They had bumped into each other on a spring day in Hogsmeade. Punctuality had never been her strong suit, and she was running late from her lunch brake with her uncle. In her mad dash back to the hospital, she barely saw the cloaked figure in her path carrying books and parchment. They collided and she fell to the ground, along with his belongings. "Watch where you're going, you silly g-," he lost his words when she looked up at him with her large dark eyes. He immediately forgot his anger and scrambled to pull her up. She tucked her hair nervously behind her ear and smiled at him. "I'm so sorry, sir," she giggled. "I was running late for work." She bent down to help him gather his supplies. Overcome by his immediate attraction for her, he offered to walk her to her building, amidst the stares of the public, who knew of his callus reputation.

From that point a friendship blossomed between them, and she often spent her lunch breaks with him, discussing everything under the sun. From the outside they were complete opposites, Cecilia with her permanent smile and sunny outlook on life, and him with his pale, dark features and even darker disposition.

It was only with her that he felt he could truly be happy; her compassion and open-mindedness to the world, magic and muggle alike, had inspired him to be a better person. That's why it crushed him to find that she no longer accepted him. He had never even had the time nor the courage to tell her that he loved her, although he assumed that everyone around him knew it.

Severus tried not to let these thoughts resurface for fear that they would hinder him from his initial task, but the closer he was to her, the stronger the feelings became. She would always have a permanent grasp on his heart that never weakened, nor did it dull the pain. He hailed a taxi and directed the driver to go downtown. He pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket containing the address of where she worked after finding it in Albus's drawer. He knew that he would have never found it otherwise; she had specifically requested that only her uncle could contact her. The anger that he felt resurfaced again at this thought, and for a moment he regretted being so far away from home. _Let's just get this damn thing over with_, he thought.

The taxi dropped him off next to a small brick building that read Caring Companion Animal Hospital. Severus glanced at the address in his hand and then back at the numbers on the building. They matched. He sighed deeply and tried to take a step forward, but his legs failed him. Swallowing hard, he reassured himself that he was doing this for Albus and no one else. _No one else indeed_. Regaining composure, he walked to the front entrance and peered in the window. It was dark. The only signs of life in the waiting room were the fish in the glowing aquarium. _She's not here, well, no other means of contact, time to go home..._

It was then that he saw a tall figure appear into the room. It was her. Severus ducked below the window just enough that he could see but not be seen. He watched her as she fed the fish. She was exactly how he remembered her, if only her beautiful figure had not been hidden by hospital scrubs. Her shoulder length auburn hair, shorter than he had remembered, was tied behind her, allowing full view of her sparkling eyes, which now, after all that she had been through, still sparkled as if he was seeing her for the first time again. A wave of admiration overcame him. Although part of him still resented her, her optimism was inspiring. The medallion in his hand glowed a deep red.

A rumbling in the sky interrupted his thoughts, as well as the smile that he didn't realize had formed on his face. Odd, it was only sunny seconds ago, now the air felt damp and cold. The sky had grown dark, but there was not a cloud in the sky. Panic gripped him. They were here. They were trying to get to her before he could. Severus ran from the window, desperate to find a way to her before they could.


	5. Close Call

Chapter 5: Close Call

The early autumn sun beamed down on the little animal hospital where Cecilia sat in the backyard with Lucy. She always brought her dog with her to the clinic on Saturdays when she came to check on the patients who had to stay for the weekend. It was her favorite time to be alone with her craft. She loved seeing the perplexed face of old Dr. Lewis when he explained the miraculous recovery of some of the patients that were critical or near death going into the weekend. Sometimes she wished that she could just come out of the muggle closet and admit that she was a witch, but she knew that much scrutiny would follow. She enjoyed the mystery surrounding her healing abilities, but the novelty was starting to wear.

Dr. Lewis always disagreed with her tactics and just shrugged it off as "new medicine"; Lena could never figure out why she never wanted to date. So for now she was contented with her day of solitude in a place where she was so misunderstood.

The sky had grown a bit dark, and she briefly wondered if it was going to rain today. _Funny, the weatherman hadn't announced it this morning_. Cecilia stepped in the building to check up on a bird with a broken wing. As she was changing the bandages, she heard the back door rattle. _Hmm, must have been the wind, _she thought casually as she went to the waiting room to feed the fish. As she walked into the dark room she saw a dark figure jump from the window ledge. She stared at the window in curiosity for a moment before dismissing it as a stray. The rattling on the back door grew louder as she fed the fish. Setting down the food, she walked to the front entrance and looked out the window. The trees were still, and the sky was clear. "Lucy," she called, but there was no dog or bark in reply. Did she forget to let Lucy in with her? Her silent question was answered as her dog ran to her side, whimpering and shaking. Cecilia gave Lucy a reassuring pat and walked cautiously towards the back of the hospital and looked for something blunt. If the rattling was from a buglar, she could defend herself. She glanced at the alarm by the door and her heart sank as she read the note on the box that said DEACTIVATED FOR REPAIRS, DON'T FORGET TO LOCK UP! -EL.

The rattling grew louder and a wave of panic gripped her. Finally the door flew open and a gust of wind knocked her down. Lucy hid under a pile of towels. Dazed, Cecilia slowly sat up and opened her eyes. Standing in the doorway was a large figure hidden by a tattered black coat. _No, no please, not here, _she thought. She opened her mouth to scream, but only a whimper emerged. The last thing she remembered before fainting was the beautiful white light behind the advancing dementor.

Her head was pounding. The bump that she had taken when she fainted was going to need quite a bit of pain medicine to subside. Suddenly she remembered what had happened. Her eyes flew open and she sat up and darted her head around to see where she was. She was in the staff room. How she got here, she wasn't sure, but she made a mental note never to sleep on that uncomfortable couch again. "Lucy?" she called, and the retriever jumped up from the corner and ran to her master's side. Cecilia smiled at her dog and scratched her ears affectionately. "I know, girl, we had quite a scare, didn't we?" Lucy barked in agreement and ran into the main office, where Cecilia could hear rustling. She crept to the doorway and froze when she had full view of the office. Sitting in a chair facing the window, petting HER dog, was Severus.


	6. Awkward Reunions

Chapter 6: Awkward Reunions 

Cecilia stood in the doorway, shocked and motionless. She couldn't believe she was in the same room as him, after all this time. She waited for what seemed like an eternity for him to speak or even look at her, but he too remained unmoved. For a moment she hoped that he would never turn around to face her, for fear that she would meet his eyes and melt into the floor. Instead she watched as he absentmindedly scratched behind Lucy's ears while the dog rested her head in his lap. _Traitor_, Cecilia thought bitterly.

Severus could sense that she was watching him from the other side of the room. It would be so easy just to turn around and tell her why he was here and that would be that, but he was afraid; something that he didn't admit to himself often. He feared that if he looked at her, every drop of desire and yearning for her that he had managed to push out of his head would come back with a vengeance. He needed time to gather his thoughts. He was sure that the attention that he was giving her dog was making her seethe, and it helped a little. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here," he finally said, standing up to face her.

"Mostly I'm wondering how you found me, and why they're after me as well," she said defiantly. "Or has it become a joint effort to finish off the rest of the family?"

Her cold words were another severe blow to his heart, but this was no time to grieve, at least not for her. "Damn it woman, don't you have any inclination of what is happening to the _living_ member of your family? You're uncle is in very serious trouble and I was sent by the rest of the staff to come find you."

"Why should I believe you?" she spat coldly, meeting his eyes fully for the first time with a glare.

His patience was beginning to run thin. "Have any strange nightmares lately?" he yelled, seeing realization and horror creep into her eyes. "Now listen, you stubborn bi…" He stopped his obscenities as he studied her eyes, whose sadness did not match the hateful words she had just uttered. He suddenly felt apologetic; he wanted to hurt her, after all the pain she had caused him, but he didn't have the energy, especially not when it came to this. However, he soon realized that her sadness was focus elsewhere as her gaze dropped down to her open hand. His also followed and he saw the blood red mark on her palm.

"Somehow I knew something was wrong…the dream last night…but I put it in the back of my mind because…" She looked up at Severus, and then quickly looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"…because you were still afraid to go back," he finished for her. She nodded numbly. They both stood in awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity. He cleared his throat sternly. "Cecilia, I'm afraid what's happening right now is bigger than you and I. If you don't come home your uncle will be dead in a matter of days."

Cecilia shuddered to think that she could be at all responsible for the death of her last living family member after she had failed to protect the rest. "I need to get some things from my house."

"Then I suppose I should cover my eyes the rest of the way so I can't know where you live," Severus said coolly. Cecilia opened her mouth in protest, but nothing came. She returned his frigid stare. "No matter," he finished, "after this is over you can return to this place and we'll forget about each other all over again." He breezed past her, with Lucy skipping after him. Cecilia sighed heavily and trudged after the two.

He followed her to the parking lot where her car sat. Severus looked at the car with a sneer. While fishing her keys from her pocket, Cecilia looked up and caught the look of distaste on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just a plain muggle car," she said with mock disappointment, glaring at him. "By the way, Lucy sits in the front seat." With that she got in the car and stared ahead until she could hear him get into the back seat. Severus complied with an exaggerated roll of his dark eyes. The car started and they were on their way.

"Do you want to know anything else?" he asked, trying to divert her attention back to her uncle.

"Are you the only one who can tell me?"

"Well, no. Professor McGonagall—"

"No thank you. I'll talk to her when I get there," she replied quickly. Not another word was spoken between the two for the rest of the trip.

The train ride to Hogwarts went quickly, which was a relief for the two. They had managed to find separate compartments, although Cecilia was forced to sit with a so-called divinations expert who kept insisting on reading her aura. She managed to talk the woman into reading Lucy's aura and pretended to sleep. She was sure that her pet would forgive her. Although they had managed to avoid each other on the train, they had to take the same carriage to the school. Awkward silence loomed in the air.

Finally, Severus cleared his throat. "Was the train ride what you remembered?"

She kept her gaze out the window, but she could feel his stare. She searched for something to say. "My aura is blue," she said with a smirk. "Lucy's is purple." Lucy barked happily in reply. "I guess I should thank you from coming to get me…"

"Forget it," he said quickly. "I'm just doing this for Albus, as I'm sure you are. What other reason would you have to come back." His tone grew cold again.

She matched it, her gaze turning icy as she watched the trees zoom by. "None," she said simply.

They arrived at the school five minutes later. "Seeing as you wish to rely on Minerva to give you the news, you can rely on her to find your way around as well," he spat as he stalked off into the building. Cecilia fought the urge to pull out her wand and hex him. Exhausted, she grabbed her trunk and dragged it towards the entrance. She smiled as a large, familiar figure approached her.

"Well look who it is," Hagrid said as he grabbed her trunk. "Been too long! McGonagall says I have ta help move ya in."

She smiled for the first time since the trip. She hugged him, grateful for a friendly face. "It's so good to see you, Hagrid. Are you taking good care of those creatures?"

"Been followin' all yer instructions," he said proudly. "We best be gettin' in the castle, doc. McGonagall's waitin' for ya."

Her face fell as she remembered why she was back. She followed him into the castle. Hogwarts was just as she remembered it, but she was still as awestruck as the very first time she stepped foot in there during her first year as a student. The portraits were full of life today; the students were hustling to their next class. A thought struck her. "Hagrid, do the students know about this?"

Hagrid tugged at his scruffy beard and looked sheepish. "Err…maybe a few, but most of 'em don't. Probably just think he's a little under the weather." He dropped her trunk and looked down at her. "It's a great thing you comin' here, Ceil. I know that it must be hard, considerin'…"

She stopped him by placing a hand on his massive forearm and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Just take me to my uncle."


End file.
